


Facility

by aheadfullofwrackspurts



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-10-14 19:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aheadfullofwrackspurts/pseuds/aheadfullofwrackspurts
Summary: When Severus finds a little boy alone in the woods, he takes him home in a bid to find out where he came from. The answer was beyond anything he could have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone, I'm back with a new story!
> 
> This one is going to be slightly different to what I have written in the past. So far my other stories have followed canon events, yet this one is from my own twisted mind. I have yet to finish writing this story and so I'm not 100% sure where it's going to go but we shall see!
> 
> I am still planning to post the beginning of the third story in the 'Like Father, Like Son' series for those of you that follow it. Updates may just be a bit sporadic on both accounts as I have started a Uni course which will be taking up a lot of my time.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Though I wish I did, I don't own any of the Harry Potter books, nor do I claim to. The rights solely belong to J.K Rowling, this is just a bit of fun. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this introductory chapter and I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Onwards, my dears!

It was a chilly midwinter evening and Severus was skimming the length of the wooded forest in search of Dittany. The wild, overgrown forest itself was situated in the highlands of Scotland, making the easterly wind that much more nail-biting. Trudging through the think blanket of snow, Severus’ feet were starting to feel numb despite them being insulated in a pair of fur-lined hiking boots. He crouched down to extract some of the herb nestled at the base of an oak tree when he saw something reflective out of his peripheral vision. Cautiously Severus stood, grasping his wand whilst still keeping it concealed-just in case a Muggle happened to be skulking around the forest at this late hour-which would be suicidal.

“Hello?” He called out tentatively, as he made his way across the landscape to the area in question.

There was no answer and it was deathly silent, save for the wind rustling the branches of the trees. Concluding it was likely to be a wild animal prowling around, Severus turned back and started shuffling away when he caught sudden movement to his right. Someone was running flat out, weaving between the trees at a frantic pace. It was certainly the outline of a human, a small human at that, most likely a child. Initially he was just going to turn a blind eye and ignore the disturbance, yet he couldn’t turn his back on a child. They would succumb to frostbite or hypothermia if they remained out in this weather. Without a second thought, Severus sprinted in pursuit in an attempt to catch up to the child.

Whoever this person was, they could certainly move quickly. Even with Severus running at top speed, he couldn’t get close enough to the person to stop them from continuing. Deciding that it may be best to take the risk, Severus ceased pursuing the entity and silently took cover behind a tree, poking his head around it every so often to see if the child had noticed that he was no longer following them. After running for a few more seconds, the small form glanced behind him and, assuming that he had lost his pursuer, crept behind one of the trees.

Noting the exact tree that the person had taken refuge behind, Severus tiptoed as quietly as possible towards it before poking his head around to see a small boy sitting at the base of the tree. The boy was shivering uncontrollably and clutching his legs to his chest in a defensive gesture. The child was wearing no more than a pair of pinstriped pyjama bottoms and his head was shaved, stray pieces of stubbly hair barely breaking the skin’s surface. Obviously the child had run away, from a hospital it would seem, and so Severus had no choice but to approach the boy and attempt to return him. 

Slowly he approached the boy, stopping a few feet away from him, desperately trying not to be intimidating despite his usual condescending nature. Severus tried to relax his body language and make himself look approachable, otherwise there would be no hope of convincing the boy to return. Deciding that this was as good a time as any, he called out softly.

“Hello?”

The boy’s head shot up and his breathing quickened, his eyes darting around frantically as if deciding whether or not to make a run for it. Instead the boy remained rooted to the spot in all-consuming fear.

“Are you lost?” Severus asked gently.

Again there was no response, the boy just remained frozen, staring up at him in undisguised fear. 

“Would you mind if I sat with you?” He whispered softly.

The child didn’t reply, yet he made no indication that he was going to bolt and so Severus crept closer until he was a couple of metres away from the boy. Severus then lowered himself to the ground, the deep snow freezing his bottom through his robes.

“What is your name?” He asked sensitively, keeping his warm gaze directed at the boy in the hope that he would open up.

The child seemed to contemplate whether or not to answer as he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side as if inspecting a particularly strange looking creature. The boy whispered something but Severus couldn’t hear. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Harry…my name is Harry.” The boy stated quietly.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Harry. My name is Severus.” He replied, making a conscious effort to smile at the child. “How old are you, Harry?”

Instead of responding verbally, the boy held nine fingers out in front of him, staring at Severus with a searching gaze.

“My goodness, you are nearly in double figures!” Severus exclaimed excitedly in an attempt to make the boy relax. “Are you lost, Harry? It’s awfully cold out here.” He stated, noticing the shivers that were racking the boy’s body.

Harry shook his head in negation.

“Then what are you doing out in the woods all on your own?” He asked with growing concern.

“Hiding…from the bad people.” Harry whispered softly, hugging his legs even tighter to his chest.

“Who are the bad people and why are they looking for you, Harry?” Severus pried, confused as to where an earth the boy had come from.

It took a while for the boy to respond, yet he just made a swift swiping motion under his neck. Surely this child was just deluded or mentally unstable. Who would be so desperate to murder an innocent nine year old boy?

“I really think you should get out of the cold, Harry. It’s getting rather late, would you like to come home with me?” He offered, not that he would take any real notice of the boy’s answer. If he refused, Severus would just stun him and take him home anyway.

The boy looked up at him in shock and continue to scrutinise him.

Severus held his hands up in a surrendering motion. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to get you warm and fed.”

Harry nodded hesitantly before getting to his feet. “You promise…no hurt, Harry?”

“I promise, I won’t hurt you. I am a teacher and I would never harm a child, I work at a school here in Scotland.” Severus explained as he held out a hand invitingly.

Harry was hesitant, yet he slowly extended his had to hold his whilst maintaining a distance.

“Good boy. Alright, let’s go and warm you up.” He announced as he removed his robes and wrapped them around the shivering boy.

The pair took a few short steps when Severus’ wand fell from his pocket and onto the white blanket of snow beneath them. He scrambled around to pick it up quickly before the boy noticed and cursed himself for being so clumsy and disorganised, however the boy uttered something that he didn’t expect to hear.

“Wand.” Harry stated, pointing at the instrument that was now resting in his free hand.

“Yes.” Severus replied carefully. “And what does a wand do?” He asked. Maybe the boy had just seen magicians with their ridiculous plastic wands, he had to be sure before he divulged any information.

“Magic silly!” Harry stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re a wizard…Harry wizard.” The boy said, pointing to himself for emphasis.

Was the boy’s temperature rising? Was he becoming delirious? Surely Harry wasn’t a wizard, no wizarding family would have any trouble locating their child if they were lost. Unless of course, he didn’t have a family. It does seem that he has escaped from some sort of hospital facility.

“Are you now?” Severus questioned sceptically.

Harry nodded his head before extending his hand, which now had a flower growing from it, it’s petals dancing in the keen wind. Severus was utterly astonished. The boy was a wizard after all. It transported him back to when he met his first friend, Lily. She had done a very similar thing and they quickly became best friends.

Swallowing past the lump that began to form in his throat at Lily’s memory, Severus transfigured a leaf into a butterfly which floated over towards Harry. The child beamed up at him and watched fascinatingly as the butterfly fluttered around him before vanishing.

“Well, knowing that you are a wizard makes my life considerably easier. Have you ever apparated before?”

Harry shook his head. “No, but Harry’s heard of it…”

“Alright. It can make you feel a bit strange at first but it will be over before you know it. Would you mind if I carried you? It would make the experience much more pleasant for you and will ensure that you don’t let go.” Severus stated honestly.

At this, Harry backed away slightly, looking up at him with undisguised fear.

“What’s wrong, Harry?” He asked softly, mentally kicking himself for startling the child. He was hoping to make the boy feel safer, not the opposite.

“Harry’s scared…” The child admitted, his eyes travelling down to look at his feet.

“It’s alright, it won’t hurt.” Severus reassured him. “It will be over before you finish counting to five, I assure you.”

Harry seemed to contemplate this and he shuffled back over towards him, reaching his arms upwards. Severus scooped him up gently and rested the small boy on his hip.

“Alright, Harry. Hold on tight to me and when I say go, start counting to five. Can you do that for me?”

The boy nodded and closed his eyes tightly, resting his head against Severus’ chest.

“Okay three…two…one…go!” He said before apparating to his home at Spinner’s End.


	2. A Rookie Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, All!
> 
> Here is another chapter for this story. I've been super busy sorting out my new uni course so I apologise for taking so long to update. As I said before, I'm not sure where I'm taking this story yet so I apologise if any loopholes appear in later chapters.
> 
> At the moment, this chapter is unedited so all mistakes are, regrettably, my own.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Harry coped with apparition a lot better than he had expected and, despite him looking a bit peaky, the boy was fine. Severus was infinitely glad that the boy hadn’t vomited all over him.

As opposed to the snow covered Scottish Highlands, Cokeworth was void of the festive white dustings and instead sported a rather unappealing watery sludge of ice. Severus decided that it coincided nicely with the run down, litter strewn street. Spinner’s End certainly wasn’t an affluent area, it was derelict. Most of the compact, terraced houses being unoccupied and abandoned and the remaining few that had people residing in them were now owned by the local council.

Striding purposefully towards the front door, Severus passed his carefully constructed protective wards and flicked his wand to unlock the front door which swung open to admit them into the narrow, pitch black hallway. Another flick of his wand spelled the lights on which uncovered the peeling wallpaper and the thick wedge of dust that was sitting atop the skirting boards. 

Turning his attention to the boy in his arms, Severus set the child down and was surprised to see that the boy grasped his robes tightly, almost as if he would disappear if he didn’t cling to him. Deciding it was best to ignore the behaviour for the time being, Severus crouched down to the child's level to address him and, there it was. Staring him blindingly in the face was the famous lightening bolt scar. How had he not joined the dots before? This wasn’t just any young boy named Harry. No, this was Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived and his late best friend’s son. Albus had informed him that they boy was living with his Muggle relatives until it was time for him to attend Hogwarts. So what was the child doing skulking around in the forest late at night? Something was clearly amiss and he was extremely suspicious, yet he decided not to announce his sudden revelation. The last thing he wanted was for Harry to become frightened.

“Okay, Harry, I’m going to run you a bath to warm you up. Is that alright?” Severus asked the boy kindly.

Harry nodded in response, looking up at him expectantly. Severus took the trembling boy's hand and lead him up the creaking staircase, along the hallway and into the bathroom. Seeing as this was his childhood home, the bathroom was rather small but functional. Housing a toilet, a basin and a combined bath and shower for economical use of the space. 

Pointing his wand at the bathtub, Severus aimed a spell at the taps which promptly started decanting warm water into the tub. Within a few minutes, the tub was full with plenty of bubbles, thanks to the bottle of honey and almond milk bubble bath he had found hidden in the back of the vanity. 

Once everything was in order, he turned around to see Harry peeking nervously from around the door frame, looking terrified to step over the threshold. 

“Come on then, Harry. The bath is ready for you.” Severus said, unusually cheerfully in a frugal attempt to encourage the boy to step inside.

Harry remained frozen to the spot and shook his head violently. “It’ll burn.” The boy muttered.

Severus’ heart broke for the boy. He had obviously been through an immensely traumatic ordeal, which meant gaining his trust was going to be a difficult feat.

“The water won’t burn you, Harry. You can test the water first if you like.” Severus replied, swirling his hand around in the water, chasing the bubbles in an attempt to pique the child’s interest.

It seemed to do the trick as he heard the boy creeping towards him and standing beside him. Severus glanced up at him and nearly passed out from shock. When the boy turned to look at him, Severus couldn’t help but get lost in the depths of Harry’s emerald green eyes. They were exactly like his mother’s.

Snapping out of his stupor, he gently guided the boys hand towards the water, encouraging him to submerge his fingers in the bubbling pool.

“Is it too hot?” Severus asked, looking at the boy searchingly.

“No, warm. Smells nice.” Harry admitted, smiling up at Severus with wide eyes.

“Good. Alright, I will leave you to get in whilst I fetch you some clothes.” He stated, making his way for the door before he was stopped by a concerned sounding Harry.

“Sev’rus?” 

“Yes, Harry?”

“You come back?” The child asked worriedly, staring at him as if he were going off to war, not merely retrieving clean clothes from his bedroom.

“Of course. I will only be across the hall and I will be back in two minutes. Call me if you need me, alright?” He questioned, growing even more concerned for the child’s mental state, he was clearly uncertain about everything.

“Okay.” Harry whispered as Severus left the room, striding over to his bedroom to procure some pyjamas for the boy.

Making his way across the bedroom, Severus approached his chest of drawers and hastily rummaged through them for something suitable. Obviously none of his clothes would fit the boy and so he fished out a pair of his black and white plaid pyjamas and transfigured them into a smaller size, hoping that they would now fit the boy.

Swiftly walking down the hall, he was glad to see that Harry had undressed and had gotten himself into the tub, yet Severus was taken aback by how thin the boy was. He could see the outline of every rib and vertebrae protruding from the child’s chest and back. He also had several jagged scars decorating his back, which looked as though they had been inflicted by a belt or whip of some sort. Several bruises littered the boy’s upper body along with some burn marks that hadn’t faded and he was positively filthy. The once clear bath water turning an unpleasant murky brown. Severus was fuming and disgusted that anyone could treat an innocent boy so horribly. Steeling his senses, Severus shuffled into the room and couldn’t help but note Harry’s shocked expression.

“You came back…” Harry stated softly.

“Of course. I said I would didn’t I?”

“Yes, but most people lie to Harry.” The boy admitted, looking down at the water in shame.

“I stay true to my word, I can assure you.” Severus replied reassuringly.

Another smile up at him made Severus feel a bit more relaxed, the boy was warming to him. He knew that he would have to determine where Harry had come from eventually but he chose to take it one step at a time. He certainly didn’t want to fracture the newfound trust the boy had placed in him and didn’t want to traumatise him any further. 

Strolling back over to the vanity, Severus found a clean washcloth and some soap for Harry to use and walked back over to him, offering it to the boy so that he could wash up. Initially, Harry looked up at him is disbelief, as if he wasn’t used to being given anything, not even basic wash things.

“Thank you.” The boy whispered softly before beginning to scrub himself clean.

Severus felt mildly uncomfortable with the situation but he didn’t want to leave the anxious boy. Instead he just hummed and milled around, pretending to be organising his vanity whilst the boy finished up. Then he summoned some freshly laundered towels and held one up in front of the child. Harry seemed to get the idea and took the proffered towel, wrapping it tightly around his waist to protect his modesty. Severus’ eyes couldn’t help but glance at the bruises that stretched over the boy’s chest, ranging from dark purple to fading yellow. Harry had evidently been on the receiving end of numerous bouts of physical abuse and no doubt neglect and emotional abuse to boot. 

Offering his hand, Harry took it and he helped the still shaking boy safely out of the bathtub. Severus turned around for the other towel and leant forward to begin drying Harry’s hair when he flinched violently, throwing his hands up in front of his face in defence. Retracting his hands, Severus waited patiently for the boy to lower his arms before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“As I said before, Harry, I’m not going to harm you. I want to help you. Do you understand?” He asked softly.

Again, Harry nodded and Severus was relieved when he let him assist in drying him before he handed the boy his nightclothes. 

“I will be waiting just outside the door, alright? Come out when you are ready.” Severus instructed, heading for the door when he felt a hand grasp his sleeve.

“No-no close door.” Harry stuttered nervously, looking up at Severus with pleading eyes.

He had no idea why, at the age of nine, the boy couldn’t form coherent sentences, yet he tried his best to ignore it for the time being. It was probably as a result of the abuse the child had suffered.

“Alright, I won’t close the door.” Severus assured him before stepping out into the hallway.

He stood there for a moment, resting his head against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose. What on earth had he gotten himself into? On the other side of this door was a terrified young boy. None of it made any sense. Dumbledore had assured him that Harry had been growing up safely under the care of his aunt and uncle. Severus knew that Petunia was incapable of being affectionate to anyone, or anything for that matter, yet he didn’t think that would stop her spoiling the Potter brat. However, here he was, a broken little boy who looked terribly malnourished and frightened of every small noise and slight movement. 

Severus was plucked out of his musings when Harry exited the bathroom. Even though he had shrunk the garments they still drowned the boy, the sleeves of the arms a few inches too long and the excess fabric hanging off of his too-small frame. Without giving it a second thought, Severus crouched down and started rolling the boy’s sleeves up as well as turning up the bottom of his pyjama trousers so that Harry didn’t trip.

Making their way down the stairs, Harry still clutched onto his hand tightly as they walked into the kitchen. As with the rest of the house, the kitchen was very basic, consisting of a small row of countertops, a clinical white fridge, a compact oven with hob and a pewter sink. There wasn’t enough space in the house for a separate dining room. Instead, there was merely a two-seater dining table in the far corner of the room, positioned under the window which looked out onto the wild, neglected garden.

Settling Harry into a dining chair, Severus crouched down so that he was on the boy’s level. 

“Now, Harry, are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”

The boy responded by nodding his head enthusiastically, as if Christmas had come early at the prospect of food. 

“Alright, I will just get you something, okay?” Severus said before spinning around and getting to work.

From the looks of it, the boy hadn’t eaten in a while, and so his stomach would have shrunk significantly. Therefore, Severus decided it was best to start with something plain yet wholesome to avoid any of the food he consumed making a reappearance. After a few moments considering what to give the boy, Severus decided on some buttered toast. Rolling his sleeves up, Severus searched his bare cupboards and popped two slices of sliced white bread into the toaster whilst he located a bread knife and a pack of butter from the fridge. Glancing back, he saw that Harry was still sitting silently and gazing wistfully out of the window. 

Severus jumped slightly as the toast popped out of the toaster. He placed it on a plate and spread a thin layer of butter on the toast’s surface before grabbing a glass and filling it with milk. 

Unfortunately as he placed the refreshments in front of Harry, Severus’ sleeves were still rolled up. Standing stark against the pale skin of his forearm was one of the biggest regrets of his life. Realising his mistake, Severus quickly yanked his shirt sleeve back down, but it was too late. Harry bolted from his seat at the dining room table and made a beeline for the door. Thanking his incredibly quick reflexes, Severus flicked his wand, effortlessly locking and heavily warding the door so that the boy couldn’t escape. After frantically attempting to open the door and deciding that it was hopeless, Harry dropped to the floor and scrambled over into the corner of the adjoining sitting room. The boy seemed to be trying desperately to get as far away from Severus as humanly possible. 

Treading carefully, Severus crept towards the trembling boy, who’s shoulders were now shaking and tears streaming down his face. As he moved closer, the walls of the house began to shudder and books were flying off of the bookshelves, circling the room like a hurricane. Severus had never witnessed such an intense bout of accidental magic in someone so young. Obviously the boy had immense power.

“Harry?” He called out softly. “Harry, please calm down for me.” Severus pleaded, remaining a few feet away from the boy, trying not to aggravate him further.

“Bad man!” Harry shouted, pointing at the mark that was forever branded on his skin and covering his ears, rocking restlessly back and forth.

Realisation hit Severus like a train. So the Death Eater’s had been searching for Harry. No wonder the boy was in such a state, even a fully grown adult would struggle to survive their cruel and brutal methods.

“Harry, please listen to me.” Severus continued. “It was a very long time ago, I was young and foolish. I left their group long ago, I promise you.”

“Harry trusted you!” Harry screamed back over the cacophony of items swirling above them.

“You can trust me, Harry. Please let me explain.” He implored.

“No, you hurt Harry!” 

“I will never hurt you, Harry. I made a promise to your mother.” Severus spat out before thinking about it.

Upon hearing that, the paraphernalia stopped spinning and merely hovered, frozen in the air above them. Severus took the opportunity to continue coaxing the boy out of his hiding place. 

“She was my best friend, Harry. You see, we grew up together, on this very street no less.” Severus explained, never taking his eyes off of the boy. “Lily was unbelievably kind, Harry. I know she loves you very much.”

“You knew Mummy?” Harry asked tentatively, looking up at the man for the first time since his episode.

“Yes, Harry.” Severus replied, slowing moving closer. “I loved your mother dearly, she was everything to me.” He admitted, trying to push back the tears that were threatening behind his eyes. ‘Since when did I grow soft?!’ He thought to himself. 

“Show Harry.” the boy stated plainly. 

“I’m sorry?” Severus asked in confusion. 

“Show Harry.” The child repeated, sitting cross legged on the floor as he gestured from his own head to Severus’, wiggling his fingers.

“Do you mean to tell me that you can perform Legilimency?” He asked, completely baffled at the prospect.

Harry’s eyes brightened and he nodded excitedly. Severus couldn’t believe it. Surely the boy couldn’t perform such an advanced branch of magic. Most competent witches and wizards couldn’t master it in their entire lifetime, let alone at the tender age of nine. 

“Alright, I’m ready when you are, Harry.” He challenged, sceptical as to whether the boy could actually perform the magic or was just bluffing. Therefore he was unbelievably surprised when the boy penetrated his mind with ease, and he began to send forward memories of Lily.

_…Both he and Lily were playing in the park, swinging high on the swings and laughing together…_

_…Their excitement the moment they received their Hogwart’s letters…_

_…Both of them lounging under a willow tree as they completed their summer assignments…_

_…Lily reassuring a crying Severus when he had been branded with the Dark Mark…_

Evidently Harry must have seen enough, as he retreated sharply from his mind, which caused a sudden wave of dizziness to hit Severus.

“You not bad man?” The boy asked hesitantly, pointing at him and eyeing him quizzically.

“No, I am not. I made a mistake. They lured me in and I realised my mistake when it was too late.”

Silence ensued for a few minutes before the boy admitted softly. “They tricked Harry too.”

“What did they do, Harry?” Severus asked sensitively, but the boy merely scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head adamantly. “Please, Harry. I would like to help you. I made a promise to your mother to protect you. I had thought you were living with your aunt and uncle all this time and so I didn’t think you were in danger. Please forgive me…” 

Harry glared at him curiously, looking dubious as to whether he should accept his apology. “It’s okay. Sev’rus no hurt Harry.” the boy stated, offering him a slight smile.

“Thank you, Harry. Would you like to come and eat now?”

Harry nodded enthusiastically and Severus extended his hand towards the boy and was surprised that he grasped it immediately. Carefully navigating their way through the detritus that now littered the floor, the pair made their way into the kitchen. Once Harry was sitting at the dining table once more, the child spoke again.

“Harry sorry. Harry fix.” The boy uttered before waving his hand in an arc motion.

To Severus’ amazement, everything in his living room was setting itself to rights. Severus stared up at the scene in awe as all of his things were returned to their original place. This young boy was extraordinary. Harry is able to perform such advanced magic, and cast it all without a wand and wordlessly. Talent like his was simply unheard of and it made Severus feel sick to his stomach, that must have been what had drawn the Death Eaters to Harry in the first place. The boy had pure, immeasurable power that most witches and wizards could only dream of.

————————————————————————————————————————

After the boy had finished gnawing on his toast, it was approaching eleven o’clock in the evening. At which point, Harry should certainly be in bed. Without Severus saying a word, Harry waddled into the hallway and inspected the staircase, a confused look marred the child’s face as he spun around.

“Where’s the cupboard?” The boy asked, pointing to the staircase and stroking his hand along the panelling as if a door would just appear out of thin air.

“There is no cupboard under the stairs. Why do you ask?” Severus questioned, completely baffled as to why the location of a cupboard was suddenly relevant.

“Where Harry s’posed to sleep?” The boy asked innocently.

“You will be sleeping in the guest room upstairs, if thats okay with you?” Severus added, confused by Harry’s intention of sleeping in a cupboard. The child must have really been through the mill.

“Okay.” Harry replied shyly as Severus led the boy up the stairs and into the guest bedroom.

As Severus never had anyone over to stay, the guest room was sparse to say the least. The walls were painted in plain duck egg and a few pieces of basic furniture were scattered about the room, including a large double bed with soft, feather down pillows and a quilted duvet. Harry seemed shocked at the size of the bed and the boy giggled as he threw himself onto it and snuggled up beneath the bundle of blankets. He couldn’t help but smile at the boy who looked so small and vulnerable amongst the covers, you could barely see him. Not really sure how to put a child to bed, Severus just turned on the lamp that was resting on the bedside table and perched on the edge of the bed next to Harry, who in turn was trying to stifle a yawn.

“Are you comfortable?” He queried and the boy nodded.“Good. Well, my room is just across the hall, if you need me just knock on the door and I will come to you. You know where the facilities are should you need them and do not hesitate to come and wake me at anytime if you need me, alright?”

“Yep. Thank you, Sev’rus.” Harry replied sincerely, finding his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

Severus felt his heart melt slightly as he stared into the boy’s wide green eyes, which were now sparkling. What in Merlin’s name had happened to him? He was Severus Snape, the ‘Dungeon Bat’, since when had he become a mollycoddling Hufflepuff?!

Severus nodded his head towards Harry and leant over to switch the lamp off when Harry stopped him by reaching his hand out.

“Could…could you leave the lamp on? D-don’t like the dark.” Harry stuttered, looking away sheepishly. 

“Of course, though I can provide you with a soft night light if you would prefer?” He asked, awaiting the boys response but still not making a move to turn the lamp off.

“Yes, please!” Harry exclaimed, looking up at Severus excitedly.

With a few waves of his wand, Severus conjured a ball of soft light, which changed colours intermittently. Harry grinned for ear to ear and it was the first time the boy had smiled properly and Severus couldn’t help but smile back at him. He wanted to make the child smile as often as he could.

After making sure Harry was settled, Severus turned to leave. He was just about to pull the door to when he was stopped in his tracks.

“Please don’t close the door!” Harry said desperately, sitting bolt up in bed and staring at him in undisguised horror. 

“Hush, child. I was going to leave it ajar but I can leave it fully open if you wish?” 

“Could you maybe close it halfway, please?” The boy asked hesitantly.

“Is this okay?” Severus queried, pulling the door closed slightly more, giving Harry privacy whilst still allowing him to see the hallway.

“Perfect, thanks.” The child said sleepily as he settled back underneath the covers.

“Alright. Goodnight, Harry.” He whispered, not expecting a reply he was surprised when he heard a muttered, ‘G’night, Sev’rus’ in response. 

Feeling slightly more relaxed now that the child was settled, Severus crept into his room, changed into his nightclothes and flopped onto the bed. The situation was only going to grow more complicated as time went on, he was sure the boy would have to see a therapist from the mere snippets he had captured from observing the boys movements. He has most certainly been abused for an extended amount of time and it is quite remarkable that the child hasn’t been driven insane. Severus knew that he was going to do everything in his power to help Harry, if not for the boy then for Lily. He just didn’t have the first clue how to provide for a child. It was unlikely he would be able to raise the boy himself, being an Ex-Death Eater turned spy and all, yet he was already starting to become attached. He certainly wasn’t going to allow any more harm to come to Harry Potter as long as he lived. 


	3. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, I've really been slacking off! I have settled into my new course a bit now so I'm hoping that I'll be able to update a little more regularly again. 
> 
> These chapters are yet to be edited and so all mistakes are, unfortunately, my own. 
> 
> Seeing as you have all been waiting a while, I will try my best to upload another chapter later today. I will try my best to write and edit today but don't hold me to it!
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy!

Severus almost fell out of bed when he awakened to a pained scream from across the hall. Leaping out of bed, several inconceivable scenarios were playing out in his mind.

Surely the Death Eaters hadn’t found Harry. No, that was ridiculous. For starters, they wouldn’t be able to breach his carefully constructed wards and certainly not without him knowing.

Without any further ado, Severus dashed along the hallway and burst into the guest bedroom to see the boy writhing restlessly on the bed, throwing his limbs out in all directions. It was clear that Harry was having a particularly vivid nightmare, though he wasn’t sure how to go about waking him. He didn’t want to frighten the boy any further.

Creeping into the room, he called the boy’s name softly. As expected, there was no response and so he raised his voice and shouted, “Harry!”. 

Still, there was no comprehension and so he had to firmly shake the boy whose eyes immediately snapped open in pure terror. Harry scurried as far away from Severus as he could possibly get and crouched down in the far corner of the room. Approaching the boy carefully, Severus soon found himself way out of his depth. Harry had both of his hands covering his ears defensively and he was rocking back and forth whilst muttering under his breath. As he moved closer, Severus could just about make out what the boy was saying.

“Please, please don’t hurt me. I didn’t mean too. Please, please don’t hurt me.” The boy repeated frantically as he closed his eyes in an attempt to block out all sensation.

“Harry?” Severus called out again and Harry’s head shot up like a meerkat and he trembled as he tried to push himself even further into the corner.

“Harry, you had a nightmare. It wasn’t real, you are safe here.” Severus reassured the child.

The boy stubbornly shook his head, tears escaping and leaking down his cheeks. 

“I will n-never be s-safe. They always f-find me.” Harry stuttered before breaking down into choked sobs.

Unsure of what to do, Severus continued talking.

“I will not let anything happen to you, Harry. As long as I am here, you are perfectly safe, I assure you.”

As Severus continued to talk, it was clear that Harry wasn’t listening to a word he said as the boy continued to sob uncontrollably. Deciding it was better to try and calm the boy down before he made himself ill, Severus took the plunge and swiftly scooped Harry into his lap and wrapped his arms around the shaking boy. 

Unsurprisingly, Harry instantly resisted and kicked up merry hell. The boy began to scream and lash out, trying everything he could to escape Severus’ hold. Harry’s magic was now swirling around the room in full-force, yet Severus persevered and refused to let go of the boy in his arms. Not knowing what else to do, Severus continued to mutter soothing words into the child’s ear in the hope that he would eventually get through to him. 

After a painful twenty minutes, Harry seemed to decide that Severus wasn’t going to hurt him and, though the boy’s crying persisted, Harry’s magic ceased its destruction. Then, without so much as a warning, the boy in his arms whipped around and threw his arms around Severus’ neck and continued to sob into his shoulder. Not used to being embraced, Severus stiffened for a few seconds before wrapping his arms protectively around Harry, tracing soothing circles on the child’s back in an attempt to calm him.

“Alright, hush child. Try and breathe for me, it’s okay.”

Harry obviously wasn’t paying any attention as the child’s breathing became more and more laboured until he was practically hyperventilating. Severus didn’t have the first clue of what to do in this situation, how on earth did you encourage a child to breathe?

“Harry, breathe with me, okay?” He asked the trembling boy, who now gazed up at him in sheer panic. “Deep breath in…” Severus instructed “…and deep breath out.”

After a deluge of tears and what felt like hours of deep breathing later, he had finally managed to calm Harry down and fell into an exhausted sleep. However the boy was still clutching onto Severus for dear life. Severus’ legs were staring to cramp up from being on the floor for so long and he attempted to move himself into a more comfortable position. Harry’s grip became impossibly tighter and it took him a while to prise the boy’s fingers from his shirt so he could set him down onto the bed.

Once Harry was tucked under the covers, Severus waved his wand to put the room to rights and crept out of the room, making sure he left the boy’s bedroom door partially open. Heaving a heavy sigh, Severus turned around to check the clock on the wall, it was four-thirty in the morning. Deciding that he could still catch a couple hours of sleep, Severus trudged back to bed and cleared his mind to relax after the nights ordeal.

————————————————————————————————————————

It took a while for Severus to fall asleep again, therefore when his alarm sounded at six, it felt as though he only had his eyes closed for mere seconds. No matter how much he wanted to cocoon himself in his bedsheets like a caterpillar, Severus manoeuvred himself into a sitting position and stretched. He then took care of his morning ablutions before getting dressed, making his bed and heading down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. 

Waltzing into the kitchen, Severus flicked his wand to open the blind and looked out to see that Jack Frost had been to visit overnight. Everything, down to each blade of grass was covered in ice crystals. Looking out at the scene made the chill in the room even more noticeable and Severus flourished his wand to set a fire blazing in the hearth. 

Before he could even contemplate doing anything else, Severus was in need of coffee. He made light work of it and, after a few wand movements, a steaming mug of black coffee rested on the worktop for him. Sipping tentatively, Severus found himself staring out of the window again whilst contemplating what he might give the boy for breakfast. Severus himself wasn’t very adventurous and tended to opt for a simple bowl of porridge or a slice of buttered toast. However, he wanted to give the boy something a bit more appealing, guessing that he was only offered cold helpings if anything at all. 

Opening the fridge, Severus sighed as he took in what he had lurking in the fridge. A half a block of cheese, a few eggs, a near-on empty tub of butter and a quart of milk which, after removing the lid was well past it’s best. He really needed to go grocery shopping, he had delayed it for as long as he could. 

Finally deciding on preparing scrambled eggs on toast for the boy, Severus set to work. Though he had access to magic, Severus often preferred to cook using muggle means. The process was, in a way, similar to potion making. Timing was crucial and there were certain ingredients that didn’t work together. Keeping an eye on the eggs, Severus crossed the kitchen and opened the cupboard to retrieve the bread. Mould was starting to speckle the outer crusts and so he just had to cut them off until he stocked up on groceries. Shoving the bread into the toaster, Severus continued to stir the eggs and the toast popped out of the toaster just in time to prevent the eggs from burning. Chucking the toast on to a plate, Severus added a thin layer of butter to the toast before dolloping the eggs on top. Cleaning up with a wave of his wand, Severus placed Harry’s breakfast under a warming charm until he awakened and started on his own breakfast. Seeing as the bread was already out, Severus decided to have buttered toast and, within minutes, was sitting down at the table, gnawing on his toast and reading the Daily Prophet. 

As time went on, Severus began to wonder where the boy was. It was approaching nine o’clock in the morning and Severus doubted that the boy would have slept in this long. Figuring he should check on the boy, Severus rose from the table and made his way to the guest bedroom. 

The door was in the exact same position he had left it in last night, however light now flooded the hallway, meaning that the boy had opened the curtains. Definitely awake then. 

Lightly knocking on the door and receiving no response, Severus cautiously pushed the door open and was met with a sight he certainly didn’t expect. The bed was made and said boy was standing erect with terror in the corner of the room, his head bent and refusing to make eye contact with him. 

“What’s wrong, Harry?” Severus asked out of concern, seeing as the boy hadn’t moved an inch since he had entered. 

The boy muttered something incomprehensible and Severus leant forward so that he could hear it again. 

“I’m awaiting my punishment, Sir.” The boy mumbled, still not daring to look up from the floor. 

Severus was beyond confused. “What in Merlin’s name would I punish you for?”

“For w-waking you up in the night, S-Sir.” Harry stuttered and Severus sighed heavily.

Making his way over towards the boy, Harry flinched violently as Severus crouched down to the same level. The child really was small for his age.

“Harry, I am not going to punish you for having a nightmare. It was beyond your control, do you understand?”

The boy didn’t look overly convinced, however he nodded tentatively and Severus resumed his upright position. 

“Alright, your breakfast is waiting for you.” Severus stated, holding out his hand to Harry. 

For a brief moment, the boy looked confused but it was gone in an instant and he took Severus’ proffered hand. 

Sitting back down at the dining room table, with the boy in tow, Severus watched as Harry picked at his breakfast and avoided his gaze. The child was restlessly fidgeting and it was driving Severus nuts. This was definitely going to be more difficult than he first thought. 


	4. Testing the Waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All! 
> 
> I'm back with my second update of the week! I'm hoping that my schedule will even out over the next couple of weeks and so I am planning to update every Friday as I did before. Fingers crossed I actually stick to it! 
> 
> As well as this story, I am updating my other story, "The Smell of a Rat," every week, which is the third in a Harry Potter rewrite I have been working on. 
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts and I hope you enjoy!

By some miracle, Severus managed to get through the painstakingly long breakfast with Harry without berating him. The constant fidgeting aggravated him to no end, yet he knew that Harry couldn’t help it, he was bound to be cautious of everything.

Nevertheless, the restlessness didn’t settle and the boy was frantically drumming his fingers against the table, his eyes darting around and bouncing in his seat simultaneously. Severus was just about to make idle conversation when the boy mustered up the courage to say something first. 

“What are you doing today, Sir?” Harry asked politely, still not daring to make eye contact with him. 

“I thought I asked you to call me Severus?” He responded. “And to answer your question, I don’t have any plans.”

“Sorry Si- uh, Sev’rus.” The boy stuttered. “Harry will just wait for your orders then.”

“My orders?” Severus asked in utter confusion. What could he possibly order a nine year old boy to do?

“Yeah.” Harry replied tentatively. “What would you like Harry to do?” The boy continued, determined to look anywhere but his face. 

Severus just sighed, he really needed to start teaching the boy how to speak properly, and stop referring to himself in the third person. 

“I don’t have any orders for you, Harry. I thought we could get to know each other a little better, if you are agreeable?” 

Harry nodded in compliance, yet his eyes still darted around the room uncertainly, almost as if he expected a Hippogriff to barge into the kitchen. 

Severus didn’t have a clue how to approach the situation, he couldn’t just come out and ask where the boy had come from. It was obvious from the boy’s reaction to his Dark Mark that he was captured by Death Eaters at some stage. Although he couldn’t just suddenly go ‘So, Harry, what happened with the Death Eaters?’ The boy would instantly close himself off and there would be no hope in getting through to him. Maybe it would be wise to approach the issue from a different angle.

“You know, Harry.” He started, not having the first clue where he was going with this, “When I first met your mother, she made a flower appear in the palm of her hand, just like you did.”

Harry’s head shot up and he was grinning from ear to ear. “Really?” 

“Really.” Severus insisted. “You and your mother are very similar…” He admitted, trailing off at the end. 

“What was Mummy like?” Harry asked hesitantly, looking fearful that he would be reprimanded for asking such a simple question. 

“Your mother was unbelievably kind, Harry. She was fearless, and always went out of her way to help people, even if they didn’t always deserve it. She was also very headstrong and stood up for what she believed in.”

When Severus chanced a look up at Harry, he was surprised to see that the boy looked utterly defeated, his shoulders slumped and his eyes downcast. 

“I don’t think Harry’s like Mummy.” The boy whispered so softly that Severus had to strain his ears in order to hear him. “Harry’s not fearless.”

“But you are, Harry.” Severus insisted, making sure to look Harry directly in the eyes to emphasise his point. “I know you have endured horrible things, Harry, I’ve seen your scars.”

Harry shook his head emphatically and began to arch back in his chair as if trying to distance himself from the conversation as much as possible. 

“Who took you from your aunt and uncle, Harry?” Severus pressed.

“Harry told you, the bad men.” The boy clarified, pointing towards Severus’ forearm. 

“What did the bad men do, Harry?” 

“They hurt Harry.” The child replied simply.

“How old were you when they took you away?”

“This many.” Harry informed him, holding up five fingers. The poor boy didn’t even seem to have a decent grasp on his letters and numbers. 

“Did they come into your house, Harry?” Severus continued. 

The boy shook his head. “No…Harry was at the park.”

“I see.” Severus responded, rubbing his chin in deep thought. “I’m sure you would like to return to you aunt and uncle then.” He mused, resting his hand under his chin. “That can certainly be arranged.” 

“NO!” The boy shouted so loudly that Severus nearly fell out of his seat.

Before he knew it, Harry was out of his chair and darting towards the nearest exit and Severus lunged to grab him, pulling the boy against his chest. 

“No! Please don’t send Harry back, please!” The boy begged, trembling with fear as he tried to extricate himself from Severus’ iron grip.

“Hush, child.” Severus muttered softly. “You don’t have to return if you do not want to, alright?”

All of the fight suddenly seemed to leave the child and he went boneless in Severus’ arms.

“You promise?” Harry asked tentatively.

“I promise, Harry. We will make other arrangements.”

The boy nodded his head mutely and allowed Severus to guide him back over to his chair at the kitchen table. Severus desperately wanted to know what had happened to Harry under the care of his relatives, but he decided to skirt around the issue for the time being. The Muggle’s were no longer a threat to Harry, but the Death Eater’s certainly were. 

“Now, Harry, do you remember where the bad men took you when you left the park?” Severus ventured, hoping the child had calmed down enough to revisit the subject. 

Harry merely shook his head.

“You don’t remember anything?” Severus pressed.

“No.” Harry murmured. “When Harry woke up, he was in a dark room.” 

“I see.” Severus responded but was surprised when Harry continued to speak.

“The bad men wanted Harry’s magic.” The boy clarified. “They said Harry was powerful.”

“I see.” Severus repeated as he tried to file the information away for reviewing later. 

Right now he could tell that the boy was unsettled and uncomfortable and he knew that he would have to try and keep him occupied. 

“Would you like to play a game, Harry?” Severus asked, watching the boy for his reaction.

Harry initially cowered away in fear. “What sort of game?” The boy asked hesitantly, almost as if he expected the game to involve causing him harm. 

“Have you ever played chess, Harry?”

“No.” Harry replied flatly.

“Would you like me to teach you how to play?” Severus asked.

Harry nodded his head and Severus waved his wand to summon his chess set before setting up the board and arranging the pieces. He then proceeded to explain the rules of chess to a very confused Harry who seemed more fascinated with the craftsmanship of the pieces than the actual game. Severus decided to let the child be and, after a while, they managed to somewhat play the game as it was intended to be played.


	5. Mixed Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, All!
> 
> Here is another chapter for you, I really hope you enjoy it. As always, I love to hear from you. 
> 
> This chapter is currently unedited so all mistakes are, regrettably, my own. 
> 
> Onwards my lovelies!

The rest of the day passed incredibly slowly for Severus. Not only did he have nothing to do, but he also had a traumatised child trailing after him wherever he went. He couldn’t even have a moment alone in the bathroom, the child would just wait outside the door for him. It was almost as if the child was afraid that he would disappear if he wasn’t in sight.

Severus knew that, particularly young children, became clingy when they found an adult that they trusted. Though Harry was nine, the trauma he experienced was sure to cause the boy to regress at some point, especially if he had never put his trust in an adult before. The boy’s relatives were still a delicate subject, yet Severus didn’t need the details to conclude that they were anything but kind to Harry. 

Sitting back down at the kitchen table with a sigh, Harry scrambling into the chair opposite him, Severus decided to make use of his time with the boy. Conjuring some paper and a selection of crayons, Severus offered them to the confused looking boy. 

“Alright, Harry. I want you to write down as many numbers you can, starting from one. Can you do that for me?” He asked sensitively. 

Harry looked at him apprehensively. 

“It’s not a test.” Severus hastened to add. “I just want to see how much you know, alright?”

“What if Harry do bad?” The boy asked tentatively. 

“There is no good or bad with this, Harry.” He explained. “I just want you to write down as much as you know, and I will teach you what you don’t. Do you understand?”

Harry nodded shyly before taking the red crayon in his hand and rolling it between his fingers. The boy looked as though he hadn’t even held a crayon, let alone used one. 

After a few seconds, Harry set to work writing down his numbers and Severus summoned a book to keep himself occupied whilst Harry worked. 

All too soon, the boy across from him was shuffling his paper towards him and placing his crayon on the table to signal that he had finished. Upon picking up the paper, Severus’ heart broke in two as he saw that Harry had written the numbers one to twenty. The numbers were written scruffily, yet he could tell that the boy had gone to immense trouble to write them as neatly as he could.

Not wanting the child to feel inadequate, Severus forced a smile on his face and asked Harry to do the same with the letters of the alphabet. 

Severus was thankful to see that Harry knew all the letters of the alphabet, but he did notice that the boy seemed to be struggling to hold his crayon properly.

“Harry?” Severus ventured and the boy looked up from staring at the table. 

“Do you find it difficult to hold a pencil, or indeed, a crayon?”

The boy just nodded his head mutely before looking down at the table again. 

“Does it hurt to write?” 

Again, another nod.

“May I have a look at your hand, Harry? If it’s hurting you, I may be able to fix it.” Severus offered.

Initially, the boy looked horrified at the prospect and clutched his hand to his chest defensively. Yet, after a few seconds, the boy lowered his hand onto the table, palm facing upwards, before leaning towards Severus. 

“Good boy.” Severus praised, taking Harry's shaking hand in his. “I won’t hurt you.” He promised as he started inspecting the child’s hand.

Severus started manipulating the boy’s fingers, which all looked to be functioning normally. It was when he started examining Harry’s wrist that he noticed there was a problem. He came across a lump on the child’s wrist that shouldn’t be there and as he rotated the wrist joint, Harry let out a whimper of pain and he knew that his suspicions were correct.

It seemed as though the boy’s wrist had been broken in the past and he hadn’t received the appropriate medical attention to fix it, causing Harry’s wrist to heal incorrectly. Luckily, it was an easy problem to fix in someone so young. As the boy was still growing, his bones wouldn’t have set yet and so it would be relatively easy to treat. Severus just knew it would take a lot for the boy to readily agree to the procedure. 

Placing the boy’s hand gently back onto the table, Severus sighed before addressing Harry.

“Looking at your wrist, Harry, it seems as though previously broken bones have fused together incorrectly.”

At Harry’s look of bewilderment, Severus continued, trying to put his thoughts into words that Harry would understand. 

“So when you broke your wrist, Harry, did you see a doctor?”

The boy shook his head.

“Okay, so if you look at my wrist…” Severus began, holding it in its normal position before turning it into an awkward one.“…if the doctor didn’t look at your wrist when it was broken, it would have healed like this. Instead of healing like this.” Severus explained, moving his hand back into its normal position. 

Harry nodded again silently, looking a little forlorn.

“It can be fixed, Harry.” Severus said and Harry’s eyes brightened a little. “I know a lovely lady that will be able to mend it for you, okay?”

“Wi-will it hurt?” Harry stuttered, gripping his wrist.

“No.” Severus said emphatically. “You will be asleep, so you won’t feel a thing.”

Harry nodded and offered him a small smile as Severus pushed his chair back to stand.

“Now, I think I will get in touch with Professor Dumbledore and…”

Severus never got to finish that sentence as all hell broke loose. Harry screamed as he scrambled towards the door before Severus grabbed him in an attempt to calm him. The boy was able to wriggle out of his grasp though and opened the door before flying down the hall towards the front door. 

Meanwhile, Severus was counting his lucky stars that he had thought to lock and ward the front door before he chased after Harry. Without giving the boy time to run, Severus lunged at the boy and pulled him flush against his chest. Harry continued to scream and kick as Severus tried to hold onto him. Just when he thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Harry’s accidental magic kicked off and it started to rain heavily inside the house, soaking Severus to the skin and blurring his vision. 

Harry refused to let up and, after what felt like hours of kicking and screaming, Severus had to result to drastic measures. He couldn’t let Harry go in fear that he would escape, so instead, Severus placed Harry in a full body bind before lowering the boy onto the now soaking wet floor in the hallway. 

Severus idly began to stroke the boy’s forehead before launching into his explanation. 

“I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want me to, Harry.” He began. “I am not sure as to why you dislike Professor Dumbledore so much, but I promise you I won’t call him, alright? You have to talk to me, Harry, help me understand. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, okay?” 

Continuing to silently stroke the boy’s head for a few minutes, Severus could see that Harry’s heartbeat had slowed significantly and it had even stopped pelting it down. Deciding this was as good a time as any, Severus leant back on his knees. 

“Alright, I’m going to lift the spell now, Harry and I want you to talk to me, okay?”

With that, Severus waved his wand and Harry sat bolt upright before moving so suddenly, Severus couldn’t keep track of the boy’s movements. Just as he was about to worry that Harry was making another run for it, he found himself with his arms full of a crying boy. 

“Harry sorry.” The boy started muttering between his tears as he gripped onto Severus for dear life.

“Hush, it’s alright.” Severus soothed, rubbing small circles on Harry’s back. 

The action reminded him that he needed to get the child to eat more, he was still skin and bone. 

The tears slowed and Severus managed to manoeuvre himself to stand, carrying Harry back into the kitchen. As he trudged along, he noticed that the floor beneath his feet, and indeed his clothes, had completely dried out and he supposed that had been Harry’s doing. 

Severus gently lowered Harry into a dining chair before kneeling in front of the blotchy-faced boy, who was now wiping his eyes to rid them of his tears. 

“Now, Harry, I’m going to start making dinner.” Severus explained. “I know you may not feel like eating at the moment, but you really need to try and gain some weight. Would you be able to do something for me whilst I cook the dinner?” He asked.

Harry looked at him curiously before nodding his head.

“Yes, Harry can cook.” The boy said, moving to get up when Severus placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly lowered him back into the chair. 

“I don’t want you to cook, Harry.” Severus stated. “I need you to do something very important for me. I would like you to use these…” he began, pulling the crayons and paper towards him. “…to draw what Professor Dumbledore reminds you of. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Harry nodded his head shyly before reaching for the crayons and beginning to draw.

“If your hand hurts too much, let me know and I can give you some medicine for it, okay? Don’t carry on if it’s causing you pain, do you understand?”

“Yes, Sev’rus.” The boy replied as Harry focused on his drawing. 

Severus ruffled the child’s hair affectionately before turning his attention to dinner, trying to think of anything but his newfound fondness for Harry. He was the most feared professor at Hogwarts and he was growing close to this child that he found in the woods yesterday. What on earth had gotten into him?

Shaking his head, he made his way over to the larder cupboard and started rifling through it. They would have to go shopping tomorrow, he couldn’t delay it any longer. There was no way that the boy would be able to put on weight if he had nothing to actually feed him. Not having any luck in the larder cupboard, Severus fished through the rest of them until he arrived at the cupboard next to sink. 

He spotted a bag of potatoes that still looked good as new and praised his slightly younger self that he had thought to put a Stasis Charm on that particular cupboard, he would have to remember to apply it to the other cupboards in the future. Seizing the potatoes, Severus decided to cook jackets. He swiftly washed the potatoes before piercing them and placing them in the microwave for ten minutes to soften. 

Whilst waiting for the potatoes, Severus made his way back to the larder cupboard and found a tin of baked beans lurking in the back, he took them out of the cabinet and placed them on the worktop for later. 

As soon as the potatoes had finished in the microwave, Severus transferred them to a baking tray before bunging them in the oven. Knowing he had a good half an hour before he had to do anything more, he retook his seat at the dining table to see how Harry was getting on. 

It turns out the boy was taking his drawing seriously, so much so that his tongue was poking out in utter concentration. Not wanting to disturb him, Severus turned back to the book he was reading earlier and relished in the silence, save the scratch of a crayon against paper. 

Half an hour later, Severus rose from his chair to check on the potatoes. Stabbing them with a knife, Severus was confident that they were ready and removed them from the oven. Placing them on the side, he then decanted the baked beans into a dish before shoving them in the microwave. 

A few minutes later and their modest dinner was ready. Severus carried both plates and placed them on the dining room table before going back to retrieve a glass of water for himself and a glass of orange juice for Harry, whom was still so engrossed in creating his masterpiece that he hadn’t even realised that dinner was on the table.

“Harry?” Severus called out softly as to not startle the boy.

Harry’s head shot up and he gave him an apologetic look.

“Dinner is ready now. You may return to your picture afterwards.” Severus stated, slumping back down into his chair and pulling his plate towards him.

Harry did the same but, rather than tucking in straight away, the boy started scrutinising what was on his place. He then tentatively picked up his fork before stabbing a single baked bean and popping it into his mouth. He must have been satisfied with the taste as he started wolfing it down. 

Severus decided it was best to tell Harry to slow down, he didn’t want him to get a stomach ache after all. Somehow he knew that Harry wouldn’t have much of an appetite once they had discussed the set of crude drawings that we neatly piled on the edge of the table. 


	6. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, All!
> 
> Here is another update for you. Thank you all for reading and leaving comments and kudos, I really appreciate it and look forward to reading your comments every week. 
> 
> This chapter is currently unedited and so all mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Once dinner was over and done with, Severus sent the dishes to the sink to be washed before addressing the boy across from him. The boy was still smiling. Who would have thought that a clump of vanilla ice cream he found at the back of the freezer would please the child so much? He still had it around his chops and he had to try very hard to cover a smirk, the upcoming topic was no laughing matter. Knowing he couldn’t delay the inevitable any further, Severus rested his arms on the table and addressed the boy.

“Harry…” Severus began. “…may I have a look at the pictures you have drawn?” 

Harry nodded his head shyly and pushed the pile of papers towards him. There were around five in total and that in itself was worrisome. 

Trying to keep an open mind, Severus picked up the drawings and began to flick through them.

Each one was more horrifying than the previous, each depicting its own stomach-churning moment. Every single one involved Harry being hurt in some way shape or form, being locked in a small, dark room was just one of the examples. The one that really stood out to him was one hastily scribbled drawing of Harry being held down by a group of people with a scruffily drawn Professor Dumbledore looking most displeased in the corner. The long beard and glasses giving him away. 

Whilst Severus commended the child for managing to draw these images with his impaired wrist, it still barely gave him an insight into what really happened during Harry’s captivity. The only way he could find out what happened is from Harry himself, the difficulty was getting the child to agree to it. 

“Harry?” Severus called and the boy’s head shot up as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Can you tell me more about what is happening in this picture?” Severus pried gently and Harry seemed to consider it for a moment. 

“The bad men are hurting Harry ‘cus Harry didn’t follow their orders.” The boy muttered, chewing on his nails with obvious anxiety.

“I see…” Severus continued. “…what did they ask you to do, Harry?” 

That seemed to be a step too far as the child’s breathing became erratic and he looked absolutely terrified.

“It’s alright, calm down.” Severus soothed, trying to help the boy relax before it turned into a full on meltdown. 

It was as Severus was trying to calm the boy that the idea struck him, with Harry’s permission, he could view the memory. Though he knew it would be difficult and no doubt harrowing for them both, it was the only way Severus could think of that caused minimal damage. So, as the boy’s breathing returned to its regular rhythm, he made his proposition. 

“Harry, do you think you could show me this memory?” Severus asked tentatively, again pointing to the picture in question.

Harry looked torn, you could almost see the cogs turning in his brain as he tried to decide whether to confide in Severus before the boy nodded his head slightly in agreement. 

“Thank you, Harry.” Severus said, letting out a breath. “Close your eyes and think of the memory and let me know when you’re ready, alright?” 

The child obeyed, his eyes clenching shut as he tried to focus on the memory. A few seconds later, Harry nodded his head for Severus to continue. 

Taking a deep breath, Severus muttered, “Legilimens,” before entering Harry’s mind. 

***

_As soon as Severus entered the memory, he was face to face with a rather calm looking Albus Dumbledore. He was standing behind a desk, his hands neatly folded in front of him as he surveyed something, that something turned out to be Harry. _

_Turning around, he saw a slightly younger Harry sitting behind said desk in the customary pinstriped pyjama pants that he found him in, though the boy did have a white t-shirt on this time. Strangely, the boy looked completely vacant and wouldn’t even look in Dumbledore’s direction. _

_As Severus moved around the desk, he noticed that Harry had been tethered to the chair and their were two burly looking men standing guard by the door, their posture anticipating the start of a fight. There was also something wrong with the scenario that he couldn’t quite place, something looked and felt odd as he stood within the memory. Tilting his head slightly, he spotted it. A glistening out of the corner of his eye indicated the presence of a ward, a strong ward at that._

_Dumbledore began to speak which pulled Severus out of his stupor._

_“Harry, we are going to try something a bit different today.” The man stated, looking at the boy for a reaction. There wasn’t one. _

_Instead of saying any more, the old man bent down and picked something up from the floor before placing it on the table. Severus was surprised to say the least, sitting on the desk, in a cage, was none other than a bunny rabbit. It must have been barely two months old, it was petite in size and the cream coloured fur was soft and frizzy._

_Looking back down at Harry, he was taken aback by the beaming smile that graced his face as he looked at the animal in wonder. Not being able to move his arms, Harry leant forward and pressed his nose up against the cage and let out a squeal of delight as the bunny hopped towards him. The sight of the boy looking happy and carefree was heartwarming, but Severus knew that it wouldn’t last._

_“He is quite adorable, isn’t he?” Albus said, gazing at the rabbit now prancing around its cage. _

_Harry nodded with upmost enthusiasm as he continued to watch the bunny darting around. _

_“But… I think this bunny rabbit might like some food, don’t you, Harry?” _

_Again the boy nodded vigorously._

_“ And what do bunny rabbits like this little fella like to eat, Harry?”_

_The child scrunched his nose up in thought before looking up at Dumbledore for the first time. _

_“Carrots?” Harry asked hesitantly. _

_“Indeed, Harry. Rabbits do like carrots.” Dumbledore praised. “Do you think you can give him one?”_

_Harry nodded hesitantly before turning his attention back to the cage and staring at a rabbit toy intently. Severus wondered what on earth the boy was doing until a carrot suddenly appeared in the rabbit’s cage._

_Severus nearly fell over in shock. Transfiguring an object wordlessly was one thing, but without a wand? Impossible. Yet he had just witnessed a boy, no older than eight, achieve it. It was simply incredible._

_“Bravo, my boy.” Albus praised and Harry offered him a tentative smile as he watched the rabbit start to munch on the proffered vegetable._

_“Now…” Albus continued. “Our little friend might get thirsty after eating that delicious carrot, don’t you think so, Harry?” _

_Again Harry nodded and, without even being asked, he stared at another toy and a small dish of water appeared in its place. _

_“Very good, Harry.” The Headmaster praised again and Severus’ heart sank as he realised where this was going._

_“And, for the final test.” Albus droned, leaning against the desk so that he was staring directly into Harry’s eyes. _

_You could see that the boy’s anxiety had increased yet, Severus had to give the boy credit, his gaze never wavered as he stared back at the Headmaster. _

_“I want you to hurt it, Harry.” The man said, his eyes never leaving Harry’s and his tone left no room for argument. _

_Severus watched with rapt attention as the staring contest drew on for several minutes, then everything happened at once. _

_“NO!” Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, sending forth a powerful burst of magic that knocked the headmaster off of his feet. _

_The boy then managed to wandlessly untie the ropes that were binding him to the chair and turned his attention to the two guards standing by the door with their wands drawn. Harry stared one of them down, swiftly jarring his head back and causing blood to spurt forth from the unsuspecting man’s nose. _

_Unfortunately, Dumbledore had managed to recover quickly from his temporary incapacitation and was waving his wand in a complicated motion that even Severus didn’t understand. Turning his attention back to Harry, Severus saw that, no matter how hard the boy tried, he wasn’t able to use any of his magic against his captors._

_That was when realisation dawned, Dumbledore had cast a magic suppressing charm, meaning that Harry had nothing but his own physical strength to overthrow three fully-grown men. With the boy’s incredibly small stature, he didn’t stand a chance. _

_It was pure desperation he saw in Harry as he flailed around, kicking and screaming as he was restrained. What Dumbledore did next was truly awful. Making sure that Harry was watching him, Albus waved his wand at the once sprightly rabbit and turned it rigid, the bright spark of life leaving its eyes._

_“Look at what you did, Harry.” Dumbledore sneered. “If you had done what I asked you to, the poor rabbit would still be alive.” _

_As anyone would expect, Harry burst into tears and began muttering an incomprehensible string of apologies. The boy didn’t stop fighting the guards even as more came to restrain him and it wasn’t until the boy had been stunned that he finally left the memory. _

***

Extracting himself from the memory, Severus wasn’t surprised when he came face to face with a distraught Harry. Tears were streaming down the boy’s cheeks and his breathing was becoming ragged. In an attempt to calm the child before yet another meltdown, Severus summoned a Calming Draught and asked Harry to drink it. The child took it in his shaking hands and gulped it down without even questioning it. Severus was glad that Harry had decided to put his trust in him, it would make it a lot easier for him to help the boy.

Knowing the effects of Legilimency all too well, Severus deemed it wise to put the child to bed early. All of the stress of the day surely made the boy exhausted, even more so now with the effects of the Calming Draught he had just administered. Harry’s eyelids were drooping already and the boy didn’t hesitate when Severus announced that it was time for bed and offered him his hand. Harry took it without argument and he led the child upstairs, instructing the boy to brush his teeth and change into his transfigured pyjamas.

Whilst the boy was getting ready for bed, Severus produced the same soft night light he had the night before and set it on the bedside table. He didn’t have to wait long until a bleary eyed boy stumbled in and made his way over to the bed. The child perched on it tentatively and Severus offered him another vial. 

“This is a dreamless sleep potion, Harry.” Severus explained. “I know that the memory you showed me was awful to relive and so this will make sure that you don’t have any nightmares, you will be able to sleep peacefully.”

Again, the boy nodded his assent before downing the potion and handing the empty vial back to the Potions Master. The child then settled under the covers before switching off like a light.

Severus made his way to the door but didn’t leave before making sure that Harry was sleeping soundly. Then, pulling the door halfway closed, he retreated to his own room for the night.


	7. Venturing Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Everyone!
> 
> Long time, no post! I apologise for the delay, I have been out of action for a few weeks and even ended up in Ambulatory Care last week. On the mend now so I am hoping to get back into my writing again. This is a fairly long chapter that will, hopefully, make up for my absence. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope that this update was worth the wait!
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Early the next morning saw Severus sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of black coffee as he scribbled out a letter to Dumbledore. After witnessing Albus’ treatment of Harry through the boy’s memories, there was no way in hell that he was going to continue working for the twisted man. In all his years working for the Dark Lord, he hadn’t seen anything so barbaric. He knew the memory was real due to its crispness and fluidity. Severus was very skilled in the art of Legilimency and could spot a fake memory from a mile away, sadly this wasn’t one of those times.

Continuing to teach at Hogwarts was out of the question, though he was unsure where he would get a job instead. Severus knew that he wanted to keep Harry safe and there was no way he could do that at Hogwarts, nothing gets past Albus, especially within the walls of Hogwarts itself. Severus couldn’t deny that he would be glad to be rid of the arrogant brats that he usually had to teach.

Of course, Severus had thought about reporting Dumbledore, but he knew it would be no use. Though he would have Harry’s memories to back up his argument, Albus was high up in the Wizengamot and would be able to influence the outcome. Plus, the other members would take one look at Harry and deem the boy unstable and there would be no weight to his argument. No, reporting Albus wasn’t going to work and he couldn’t risk losing Harry.

Finishing his letter of resignation, Severus sealed the envelope before marching over to the floo in the living room and sending it straight to Dumbledore’s office. He knew that the man was busy tending to the school over the festive break and so he didn’t expect him to read it for a few days.

Cleaning up his ink and quill with a flick of his wand, Severus glanced over at the doorway to see Harry standing there, hair mussed from sleep, twisting the front of his pyjama top nervously.

“Good morning, Harry.” Severus said politely. “Did you sleep well?”

Harry smiled shyly. “Good morning, Sev’rus. Harry had a good sleep, did you?”

“I’m very pleased to hear that, Harry.” The man replied, finding it incredibly challenging not to snap and correct the boy’s awful grammar. “I slept very well, thank you. Would you like some breakfast?”

Harry nodded enthusiastically and Severus gestured for Harry to take a seat at the table whilst he prepared his breakfast. Severus was well and truly scraping the bottom of the barrel now, so to speak, as he literally had nothing to give the boy. He would have to go grocery shopping today and just take the boy with him. That wasn’t going to help him now though as he rummaged through the cupboards, giving a silent cheer when he spotted some opened porridge oats in the back of the cupboard.

The milk had long since passed its best and so Severus had no option but to prepare the porridge with water. Though the meal left a lot to be desired, Severus sprinkled some cinnamon on top of the porridge to make it more palatable and set the bowl in front of the boy with a glass of water.

Luckily, Harry didn’t seem to be fussy and dug into his meal with gusto. Severus pitied the boy for relishing in food that was so bland that it probably resembled sucking on a bit of cardboard, though just a glimpse of the boy’s past was enough to understand why he acted this way.

As the child was eating, Severus decided to broach the subject of going out to do some grocery shopping. He wasn’t sure how the boy would react but he supposed there was only one way to find out.

“Harry…” Severus began. “…I need to go out today to get some groceries. Would you like to come with me?” He asked politely, even though he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He couldn’t leave Harry here alone, nor could they starve.

“Is Harry really allowed to go?” The child asked in amazement, staring up at Severus with wide eyes.

“Of course.” Severus replied sincerely.

“Yes please, Sev’rus!” The boy said enthusiastically, wriggling in his seat with excitement.

“Very well.” Severus responded with a smirk. “Once you have finished your breakfast, we will find you something to wear and we’ll be off.”

As he said that, Harry shovelled the last few mouthfuls of porridge into his mouth and rushed to put the dishes into the sink before bounding upstairs to wash-up. Severus just sat there smirking wondering what on earth he had gotten himself into.

***

It took all of thirty minutes to get Harry ready to go shopping. As the boy washed and brushed his teeth, Severus had rifled through his clothing in an attempt to find something he could shrink for Harry to wear. As they were venturing out into the Muggle district, Severus had picked out a woollen jumper and a pair of cord trousers for the boy to wear, though he did transfigure the jumper into a bottle green hue instead of its original black. Just because he didn’t wear anything but black it didn’t mean that he was going to subject the child to looking like a walking funeral.

Pulling on their long winter coats, one of which was again resized for Harry, they made their way out of the door and along the street. Severus offered his hand out for the boy to take and was surprised when he did. Looking at the boy, he saw that his hair was starting to grow back, no doubt due to the child’s accidental magic. Where there was once stubble, there was now inch-thick ebony black hair, which seemed to curl a little at the ends. Harry skipped along happily beside him and Severus couldn’t help but smile down at the child.

They walked along the street until they reached the park at the end of the road. It was practically derelict now, the roundabout made an awful creaking sound whenever it spun and one of the swings was broken, dangling limply from one chain. It wasn’t in particularly good condition when he and Lily used to play there, but now it wasn’t even functional.

Severus and Harry weren’t there to use the park however, there was a cusp of trees adjacent to the playground alongside the river that ran through the town. The trees themselves would give them the shelter they needed to apparate, even though the street was far from thriving, Severus didn’t want to take any chances. Leading Harry behind one of the trees Severus crouched down in front of the boy.

“Right, Harry.” Severus began. “We are going to apparate now, would you like me to hold you like last time?”

Harry nodded shyly and lifted his arms up in silent invitation. Severus leant over and lifted Harry up before resting him on his hip, still shocked by how light the boy was, he certainly needed to fatten him up a bit.

Instructing Harry to count to five like before, Severus apparated and they appeared in Birmingham’s central shopping district. Though he was aware that a lot of the more desirable shops were in London, he didn’t want to risk being spotted by anyone he knew, seeing as he frequented Muggle London often.

Severus was about to set the boy down but he felt the child’s grip around his neck tighten. Looking over at the boy he saw that he had taken on a pasty pallor and was burying his face in Severus’ shirt. Suspecting that the child felt a little unwell from the travel, Severus patted the boy’s back comfortingly as he set off in pursuit of a children’s clothing store.

He hadn’t been shopping in Birmingham since he was a teenager and so things had changed a lot since the mid-seventies. Severus wandered around aimlessly for a while and was relieved when he finally found a Woolworths - they sold everything.

Once he had found the children’s department, Harry was craning his neck to see everything that was on display so, assuming his was feeling well again, Severus set him down before grasping the boy’s hand. The store was rather busy seeing as it was the run-up to Christmas and the last thing Severus wanted was for Harry to get lost.

“You are to hold my hand and stay close to me.” Severus voiced to the child. “It is very crowded in here and I don’t want you to get lost, do you understand?”

The boy nodded though he was obviously far more interested in his new surroundings to be paying much attention to what he was saying. Severus just shook his head at the boy’s antics as he led him over to the children’s clothing. Having absolutely no clue what size Harry would be, Severus knew that he would have to brave the changing rooms, which were abhorrent at the best of times. Therefore, he picked up a random assortment of shirts and trousers before dragging Harry over to the changing rooms, assuring him that they would pick out what he liked once they had determined his size.

Of course, there was a queue for the changing rooms and Severus had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as they inched forwards ever so slowly. Upon reaching the dressing rooms, they were met with a blonde assistant who merely counted the number of items they had before shoving a plastic circle with the number eight written on it and directing them towards an empty cubicle - cubicle being a cupboard sized space with a curtain for a door.

Thanking the lord above that their spot was right at the end of the corridor, Severus bustled his way through with Harry before hanging up the garments on the proffered rail and instructing Harry to try on the clothing to see what fit. However, just as he was about to exit the cubicle and draw the curtain, Harry grabbed his shirt and told him not to close it. Severus sighed, he couldn’t leave the curtain wide open whilst the child got dressed so he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to stay in there with Harry.

After a gruelling fifteen minutes of trying on a selection of clothes, the pair had determined that Harry was an age seven to eight. Severus could see that Harry was a little upset about this but he reassured him that he just hadn’t had his growth spurt yet which seemed to placate the boy for now.

Finishing up, they once again passed the assistant who relinquished them of their unwanted items before they headed back out to start shopping. They had barely begun and Severus was already wishing he was at home with a good book, but this was important and Harry was excited so he had to try his best to remain upbeat.

Leading the way, Severus decided to start at underwear and socks before he moved on to the other items so, grabbing a basket, he told Harry to pick out some underpants and socks. When he turned back, Harry was just standing there looking bewildered.

“Whatever is the matter?” Severus asked, looking at the boy in confusion.

“Sev’rus should pick.” The boy replied simply and Severus crouched down beside him.

“No, I would like you to pick.” Severus replied. “They are your clothes and so you can choose, there is no right or wrong, okay?”

Harry beamed up at him and Severus ruffled the child’s hair as he stood up, Harry then picked out a three pack of plain boxer shorts and a five pack of plain socks before holding them out to Severus.

“Very good, Harry,” Severus said, gesturing for Harry to place the items in the basket, “You will need two more packs of underwear and another pack of socks, though they don’t all have to be plain.” He added. “What about these ones?” Severus suggested, pointing to a pack of underpants which were adorned with images of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Nodding his head enthusiastically, Harry grabbed the pack of underpants and another pack of socks, which were covered in ‘The Muppet Show’ characters. This seemed like a good opportunity to get Harry some woollen mittens and such, seeing as it was the middle of winter. Severus picked him out a wooly hat, scarf and gloves set in navy blue.

Once they had the undergarments out of the way, Severus lead Harry over to the clothes where they picked out three pairs of jeans, two pairs of formal trousers, three polo shirts, five causal t-shirts, two button-up dress shirts, two sweaters and three sets of pyjamas, not to mention the thick winter coat that Severus picked up.

Finally, it was time to look at shoes, for which Severus was eternally grateful. He didn’t expect shopping to take this long, though he knew he should have expected it with the sheer amount of Christmas shoppers milling about. Over in the shoe department, Severus once again instructed Harry to pick out what he liked, a pair of trainers and a pair of dress shoes.

Unfortunately, the store was jumping and it was almost impossible to get a decent look at any of the shoes. Poor Harry was so small and shy that he was getting shoved out of the way by the older children. Severus wasn’t having any of that and so, taking Harry’s hand, he used his most terrifying glare reserved for the miscreants back at Hogwarts, to march through the throngs of children. It was almost laughable, as soon as they saw Severus, they parted like the red sea.

Feet measured and shoes chosen, Severus and Harry were finally making their way over to the toy section. They now had a trolley instead of the original hand basket they started with and they were now beginning to get a few stares from the other shoppers. The cart itself was almost full to the brim.

Harry was starting to flag, trailing along beside Severus, however that all changed when he caught a glimpse of the toy section. His eye’s brightened and he bounced up and down next to Severus in excitement. As they walked through the aisles, Severus told Harry to pick out a few things he would like and the look of complete wonder he received was heart-wrenching. It was obvious that the boy hadn’t had any toys growing up and he handled each thing he picked up with extreme care. He picked out some action figures, a train set and a bouncy ball before he gravitated over towards the soft toys.

Harry seemed to take a particular interest in these and looked on in awe. Severus told the child that he could pick up one more thing. Harry then carefully picked up a fairly large teddy bear and hugged it close to his chest before spotting a light green Glo-Worm and he looked at it curiously. Severus crouched down beside him.

“It lights up, Harry.” He informed him, leaning over to press the tester button on the side of the box.

Harry grinned widely before it fell and he was looking between the two toys he had in his hands, obviously in the middle of a huge dilemma on what to put back. Sensing the boy’s agitation, Severus took both items from Harry’s hands and placed them into the overflowing trolley.

“We’ll get them both, but just this once.” Severus said with a smile.

“Thank you, Sev’rus.” The child said, padding over to him and hugging him tightly.

“Alright, what do you say we get out of here?”

Harry nodded shyly and grasped Severus’ hand as he led the boy towards the tills.

On the way, Severus spotted a small collection of children’s books and steered them in that direction. When he asked Harry if he would like a couple, the boy’s eyes turned glassy as if he were trying to hold back a wave of impending tears.

“Whatever is the matter now?” Severus asked, everything had been going well so far, too well perhaps.

“Harry can’t read.” The child muttered, his head held in shame.

Crouching down for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, Severus lifted the boy’s chin.

“Don’t be ashamed, Harry. It is in no way your fault and I will teach you to read, alright?”

Harry nodded and wiped away a few stray tears whilst Severus picked up a few ‘Biff and Chip’ books for Harry to start with.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to the checkouts, Harry helping by passing the items from the trolley. Severus had to grasp the counter to steady himself when the total was read out to him, yet he merely handed over his card and gave the child a look of reassurance. He knew that he had spoilt the boy but, by heavens, he deserved to be spoilt, it was long overdue. Severus had a decent salary and he didn’t waste money on frivolities and so he had plenty left in reserves for this occasion.

Glad that they finally made it out of Woolworths and he could breathe some fresh air, Severus lead Harry towards a side alley between the shops and behind a collection of dustbins. He then began to shrink their assortment of bags so that they didn’t have to lug them around, they still had to go grocery shopping after all.

Shopping wasn’t Severus’ favourite pastime by any stretch of the imagination, but grocery shopping seemed inherently worse. Also, seeing as it was only three days until ‘The Big Day,’ the fight for produce would be even worse.

Arriving at Tesco, Severus bravely fought for a trolley before dragging Harry inside. The boy was definitely feeling it by now and Severus took pity on him. He hoisted Harry up before placing him in the fold-out seat of the trolley. Severus knew that it was intended for younger children but Harry fit quite comfortably and he certainly looked young enough to sit there. Though the boy was obviously exhausted, his tiredness didn’t stop him from looking around excitedly at all the items on offer.

The shop was positively jumping. There were parents and children having arguments over tins of Quality Street, pushing and shoving to get to vegetables with the longest date and a queue for preordered turkeys that seemed to stretch on for miles. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Severus made a beeline for the fresh fruits and vegetables and set to work.He wasn’t overly worried about picking things that Harry would like, the boy didn’t seem to be fussy and he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

As he was chucking fruit and veg into his trolley, Severus had the urge to do something he hadn’t done in years. Severus never celebrated Christmas, especially when he didn’t have to spend it at Hogwarts, but when he looked at the child sitting in the trolley, he felt it was his duty to give the boy a memorable Christmas, including a roast dinner with all the trimmings. With that decided, he collected the vegetables he would need for the meal before continuing onto the next aisle.

Toiletries were next and he grabbed a few things that he thought Harry might need before sweeping through the bakery and food-cupboard aisles. Picking up the basics, including bread and pasta, Severus saw a section of food that was intended for children and made his way over there. Here he picked out some yoghurt coated raisins, fruit snacks and cereal and biscuit bars for the child to snack on to push his weight up a bit.

With that done, it was a quick stop in the cleaning aisle for toilet roll and the like before they ended up in the sweet aisle. Severus inwardly groaned. He had never been a fan of sweet things but he couldn’t help but notice Harry’s renewed interest in shopping as he gawked at the confectionary. Again, heading to the children’s section of the aisle, he instructed Harry to pick something out. Harry took a shining to a pack of Kinder Eggs and so they made their way into the steadily increasing pile in the trolley.

The last aisles the pair had to tackle were the frozen and fridge sections. Severus was fit to drop and was thankful that their shopping trip finally seemed to be coming to an end. Severus had surprisingly managed to acquire everything he needed for his roast dinner, the only things that were missing were the turkey and the pigs in blankets. Luckily, the pigs in blankets were fairly easy to obtain, the turkey however was a different story, the shelves were decimated and Severus sighed in defeat before picking up a joint of beef instead.

By the time they made it to the frozen aisle, Severus was just blindly chucking things into the trolley that he thought Harry might like. This consisted of things that children seemed to love to eat, including, fish fingers, chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas. Satisfied that he was well and truly done with shopping, Severus made his way to the checkouts when he was hit with an idea. Looking over at the turkey collection point, he saw that the queue had dwindled and there were only a few stragglers left behind. Making his way over to the collection point, Severus was met with a middle-aged woman who, to say she looked hacked off would be an understatement.

“Can I help you?” She asked tiredly.

“Yes, I just wondered if you had any turkey’s left over? You see my-“ Severus started before he was abruptly cut off.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but this is for preordered turkey’s only.” The woman snapped and Severus’ patience was wearing thin.

“Yes, I am well aware of that.” Severus snapped back, “I have just been over there and their aren’t any left.”

“Well I’m sorry, Sir, but there is nothing I can do. You should have pre-ordered one.”

Severus was about to shout back when he turned to Harry and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Look…” He began dragging his trolley closer to the counter so that the woman could see Harry, who now had his head resting on his arms that were propped against the trolley handle, sleeping soundly. “…this boy has recently come into my care, he has been abused and this is his first Christmas. Are you sure that you don’t have any more?” He asked, sending the woman his most pleading look.

He knew he was being devilishly Slytherin but he knew that even the most cold-hearted person couldn’t deny little Harry anything.

It did the trick as he could visibly see the woman’s eyes soften before she spoke again.

“I’ll see what I can do, give me one moment.” She said before sloping off.

Barely a few minutes later, the woman walks out with a turkey in hand.

“I managed to find one out back.” She explained, handing the hunk of meat out to him.

“Thank you.” Severus said sincerely. “This will make his day.” He lied, he knew that Harry wouldn’t care what he was given, he was appreciative of everything.

“You’re welcome. Just make sure he has a good Christmas, won’t you?” She asked, a sad smile on her face as she glanced back over at Harry.

“I will try my best, Madam. Thank you.” He said again before sloping off towards the tills.

Severus smirked to himself as he hid himself behind the store, shrinking his bags and lifting Harry out of the trolley and settling him on his hip. There were definitely perks to being a Slytherin.


	8. Speaking to an Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, All!
> 
> Long time, no post. Thank you for your patience, once again life has gotten in the way of me posting regularly but I haven't abandoned this story, I promise! 
> 
> This chapter throws another twist into the story and I hope you don't think that it is too farfetched. The idea popped into my head and I couldn't shake it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Arriving home, Severus really didn’t have the strength to unpack anything right now, but he knew he had to put the groceries away. After unlocking the door, he strolled into the living room before lowering a still sleeping Harry onto the sofa and covering him with a woven throw. He then began to extract the shrunken bags from his pocket and resized them, simply waving his wand to send Harry’s items upstairs for them to unpack later. Though he did think to pull out Harry’s Glo-Worm and tucked it in next to him on the sofa.

As for the groceries, he set to work unpacking them by hand. Yes, Severus could use magic to put the items away, but that had never gone over too well in the past, the fridge items ended up in the larder cupboard and vice versa.

Twenty minutes later, Severus was putting away the last of the groceries and shoving the larder door closed. Peeking into the adjacent sitting room, he saw that Harry was still sleeping soundly. Severus was reluctant to wake the boy and he could do with a sit down himself, even though it was only mid afternoon, it felt as though it was time to turn in for the night. Deciding on preparing an early dinner instead of starting any food preparations now, Severus sank down into his armchair and closed his eyes for a little while.

***

When Severus reopened his eyes, it was to find Harry gently prodding his knee. Upon noticing he was awake, Harry jumped back a little and held his Glo-Worm tightly to his chest. Rubbing his eyes, Severus glanced over to the clock and noticed that it was almost five o’clock in the evening, the boy must be starving, he wasn’t very good at this ‘looking after a child’ lark.

“Did you need something, Harry?” Severus asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

He knew that the boy must at least be thirsty, though he did have a carton of juice in the supermarket, he wanted to see if Harry trusted him enough to ask for what he wanted.

“Um, well… can Harry have a drink?” The boy asked shyly, hiding his face behind his soft toy.

“Of course you may, Harry.” Severus replied softly, silently cheering that the boy had been brave enough to ask. “You do not need to ask me for a drink, you can help yourself, alright?”

Harry nodded but still looked unsure, he doubted the boy would ever help himself but asking for something was a step in the right direction he supposed. Rising from his chair, Severus ventured into the kitchen, Harry trailing along behind him, and poured the boy a glass of blackcurrant squash. Harry took the glass with a muttered ‘thank you’ before guzzling it and placing the cup back on the side, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Severus absently poured the boy another but hesitated before handing it to him.

“Drink this one slowly.” He instructed. “I will be starting dinner shortly and I don’t want you to feel sick.”

Harry nodded obediently before standing back a few paces so that Severus could put the squash back in the cupboard. The boy himself still looked at a loss of what to do with himself and so Severus suggested that he go and play with one of the toys that he picked out whilst shopping today. Harry nodded enthusiastically before darting upstairs, leaving Severus to prepare dinner.

Severus set to work on his salmon dish, squeezing lemon juice and sprinkling dill onto the salmon fillets before wrapping them in foil and placing them in the oven. He then went about preparing boiled potatoes and marinating them in a herb butter with some green beans.

In no time at all, dinner was ready and, though he could just call Harry, he was still reluctant to do so with how jumpy the boy still was. Deciding he had best go and find him instead, Severus placed the dinner plates with a preservation charm onto the dining table before heading upstairs in search of Harry. Arriving at Harry’s bedroom door, Severus knocked lightly a few times and, when there was no response, peeked his head around the door frame. It seemed as though Harry had taken it upon himself to unpack his things, seeing as the shopping bags were empty and strewn across the room. Harry himself was kneeling on the floor, diligently connecting pieces of track from his train set in an intricate pattern around the room. Severus watched him for a few moments and, when he had finished connecting the track pieces, Harry carefully placed the train onto the tracks and waved his hand, using his magic to send the train speeding around the rails. Harry’s eyes darted around as he followed the train around its course before noticing Severus in the doorway and jumping back, the train stopping as he scrambled to stand up.

“I am glad to see that you are enjoying your new toys.” Severus commented and Harry nodded his head frantically. “I just came to inform you that dinner is ready.”

With a muttered ‘okay’, Harry made his way over to him when Severus noticed Harry’s glass that held his juice from earlier, on the bedside table.

“Would you mind bringing your dishes down?” Severus asked and Harry rushed over, taking care to avoid the tangle of train tracks, picked up his glass and held his head down as if waiting to be reprimanded.

Severus placed a gentle hand the boy’s shoulder. “I’m not going to punish you, Harry.” He promised. “Just try to make sure you don’t leave dishes up here, okay?”

Again, Harry just nodded in response and Severus thought he had better get Harry into the habit of speaking more.

“Use your words, Harry.” He instructed gently and the boy finally looked up at him.

“Yes. Sorry, Sev’rus.” The boy muttered.

“There is nothing to apologise for.” Severus reassured before leading Harry downstairs and into the kitchen.

Both Severus and Harry took their seat at the dining table and Severus cancelled the preservation charm before starting on his own meal. Glancing up at Harry, he saw the boy poking at his salmon with his fork in utter confusion.

“If you have a question I expect you to voice it.” Severus intoned after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes.

Harry blushed slightly as he met his eyes. “What is it?” Harry asked innocently, still poking at it like it was some sort of alien foetus.

“It’s salmon, a type of fish.” Severus explained.

Harry speared a piece onto his fork and cautiously smelt it. “Smells weird.” The boy whispered to himself, though Severus heard him and he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped.

The boy’s head snapped up and glared at him as if to say that this was no laughing matter.

“It is an acquired taste and so, if you dislike it, you don’t have to have it again. Though I would like you to try it.” Severus added. “You may surprise yourself.”

Harry continued to scrutinise it before finally putting it in his mouth and Severus smirked when the boy’s eyes widened in astonishment. The child eventually managed to eat everything on his plate and Severus took that as a sign that the meal was to his taste after all.

***

Later that evening found Severus and Harry in the lounge, relaxing in front of the fire. All was quiet as Severus focused on reading a Potions journal whilst Harry fidgeted with his action figures. Things were so quiet that Severus was a little startled when Harry broke the silence.

“Can you tell Harry about Mummy?” The boy asked sheepishly, looking at him with those rounded emerald eyes that were impossible to deny anything.

Severus closed his journal and turned to give the child his full attention. “What would you like to know?” He asked.

Harry simply shrugged. “Anything.” He replied. “But mostly her favourite colour.”

Severus smiled at the childish question and thought back to when he and Lily were young.

“Your mother’s favourite colour, as far as I am aware, was yellow. She loved Daffodils.”

Harry smiled softly, seemingly content with the slither of information he had received about his mother.

“Did you know my Daddy?” The boy asked curiously, looking up at Severus full of hope.

Severus sighed, how could he tell the boy that he hated everything about his father, that the man bullied him mercilessly? Though Severus had to admit, James did grow up, but to him he was still just as arrogant and wounds were cut too deep to heal before he died. He really didn’t want to taint the boy’s view of his own father and so he chose to take the safe option.

“I did know your father, yes.” Severus began. “I regret to say that we didn’t get along, but I do know that he loved you and your mother very much.”

“Why didn’t you get along?” Harry asked innocently.

“We were just interested in different things.” Severus replied carefully. “I was quiet, very studious and enjoyed Potions whilst you father was outgoing and loved sports, particularly Quidditch.”

The boy smiled. “Harry’d like to learn to fly.” The child admitted. “But Potions sounds cool too.”

Severus smirked. “I’d be more than happy to teach you when you are old enough.”

Harry beamed back at him. “Did Mummy like Potions too?”

“Yes, in fact, she was very talented. However, she much preferred Charms and excelled in that subject too. I’m sure that, had she lived, she would have made a fantastic Charms professor.” Severus confessed.

Harry nodded once more before silence returned, though the boy wriggled around a lot and it seemed that he still had questions on his mind that he was too afraid to voice.

“I don’t mind if you have more questions, Harry.” Severus reassured the child. “Asking questions is how we learn.”

Harry looked up at him shyly. “Do you have any pictures of Mummy?” The boy all but whispered and Severus nodded.

“I’ll be right back.” He assured the boy as he ventured upstairs in search of his collection of photographs.

After rummaging around in his dresser drawers, Severus came back downstairs with an envelope holding a few pictures. These were his favourites which he kept on hand and separate from his other photographs he owned. He lowered himself onto the sofa next to Harry and handed the boy the envelope, and he was proud to say that the child handled the images with extreme care. The boy stared at the photos with undisguised wonder and smiled as he flicked through them.

“Do you wish you could see her again?” Harry asked softly.

A lump lodged itself in Severus’ throat and he struggled to swallow around it and offer Harry a response.

“Yes. Everyday.” Severus admitted.

“Harry can help you.” The boy replied, looking up at him with a smile.

“I’m sorry?” Severus asked in bemusement, what in Merlin’s name was the child going on about.

The child in question carefully placed the stack of photos on the coffee table before turning towards Severus and crossing his legs.

“Give Harry your hands.” The boy instructed, holding his hands out, palms facing upwards.

“What do you…”

“Trust Harry.” The boy said simply and Severus extended his hands before placing them in Harry’s. “Close your eyes and think about Mummy.” The boy instructed, closing his own eyes.

“Why do I-“

"-Please?” Harry added, and once again Severus couldn’t resist and did what he was told. “Don’t open your eyes until you hear her.”

Severus was beyond confused but went along with what the boy was telling him, a few minutes went by until he heard a voice that he never thought he would hear again in this lifetime.

“Severus?” The voice called and his eyes flew open.

Severus wasn’t in anyway prepared for the sight that greeted him. Harry was still sitting crossed-legged in front of him, yet now his eyes had rolled back into his head, revealing only the white sclera instead of the bright green of the boy’s irises.

“Harry?!” Severus asked in horror, trying to remove his hands from the boy’s grip in an attempt to stop what was going on.

“Stop!” Harry’s mouth opened, but it was Lily’s voice that was sent forth. “If you let go, it will break the connection and it will hurt Harry.”

Severus’ grip on the boy’s hands tightened of their own accord as he searched for words.

“Lily?” He choked out, not being able to stop the stray tears that leaked from his eyes.

“Yes, Severus.” She replied.

“But how are you-“

“-Look, Severus,” Lily butted in, “we haven’t got much time. The longer I stay the quicker Harry’s magical core depletes and I refuse to hurt him.” She said seriously. “All I am asking of you is to keep him safe, Sev.”

Severus let out a stuttered sob at the use of his nickname, nobody but Lily had ever called him that.

“Of course I will.” Severus declared through his tears. “I promised you that before…” He trailed off.

“I know you did.” Lily replied. “You’ve played your part as a spy well my friend.” She added and Severus swore he could hear the smile in her voice.

Severus smiled to himself through his tears until Lily’s voice returned to its serious tone.

“Look, Sev, you have to keep Harry with you. I don’t blame you for not finding him sooner as he was kept in solitary confinement but you have to promise me you won’t let him out of your sight now.”

“I swear to you I won’t.” He replied sincerely.

“You don’t know half of what he has been through, Sev, nor just what Dumbledore and The Order are capable of.”

“The Order-“

“Oh yes, they're in on it too.” Lily explained.“I have to go, Harry is flagging, just don’t trust any of them, Sev. Don’t trust anyone and keep Harry close to you.”

“I will but-“

“I’m warning you that the aftereffect of this on Harry won’t be pleasant but he’ll be alright.”

“Lily, please-“ He choked out before he was cut off once again.

“I have to go.” She responded urgently. “Stay strong, Sev.”

With that, the connection was lost and Harry’s grip on his hands slackened before his eyes closed. The boy then went limp and would have face planted the sofa had Severus not been there to catch him. Severus let the tears run freely as he cradled Harry against his chest. Finally getting himself under control, Severus manoeuvred Harry out of the position against his chest when the sight before him made him feel sick to his stomach.

Harry was still unconscious, yet now the boy was deathly pale and blood was slowly trickling from his nose, ears, eyes and even the corner of his mouth. It had stained Severus’ shirt when he had leant against him and didn’t look as if it were going to stop anytime soon.

“Shit.” Severus muttered to himself before lifting Harry into a sitting position.

Summoning a box of tissues, Severus tried to clear the blood away from the boy’s face before shaking him frantically.

“Harry? Come on, Harry, wake up.”

Lily had said that the aftermath wasn’t pleasant but Severus must admit, he didn’t think it would be this bad. Casting ‘Enervate’ a few times without any luck, Severus simply lowered the boy so that he was lying across the settee and intermittently wiped the blood that accumulated on his face. Severus kept a close eye on the boy’s pulse and oxygen levels and was immensely relieved when tired green eyes blinked open half an hour later.

The boy himself smiled up at him at Severus sighed in relief before lifting the boy up and hugging him against his chest.

“I appreciate what you did, Harry,” he muttered softly, “but don’t ever frighten me like that again. Do you understand?” He asked, hugging the boy tightly and rubbing comforting circles on his back.

“Yes, Sev’rus.” The boy muttered sleepily before succumbing to sleep in Severus’ arms.


	9. Trouble Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, All! 
> 
> I feel as though I am constantly apologising, but I'm sorry that there haven't been many updates recently, life has gotten in the way a bit!
> 
> I hope it was worth the wait and, as always, I love to hear what you think. 
> 
> Onwards my dears!

Straight after finding about Harry’s gift, and just how powerful the child was, found Severus reinforcing the wards on his home. His protective and monitoring charms were strong to begin with but there was no harm in strengthening them. As Severus circled around the house, chanting a string of Latin, he reevaluated the conversation he had with Lily for the millionth time. If what she had said was true, and he had no reason to doubt her, then no one, not even those in the Order, were to be trusted. Severus was more than used to tackling things on his own but he had never had a child in his care beforehand. He was determined not to let the boy down.

Over the past few days, Harry had started to come out of his shell. He was speaking more often, even if the sentences were disjointed and in the wrong tense, and no longer seemed to deem it necessary to follow him around like a lost puppy. Harry also seemed desperate to learn, the child was determined to learn how to read and found himself more comfortable about asking questions. Severus had to admit it to himself, he was proud of how far he had come.

It was just after lunch, almost a week after Severus’ discussion with Lily, when he received a floo call. It turned out to be the person he was dreading to speak to: Albus Dumbledore. As soon as the old codger’s voice came out of the fireplace calling for Severus, Harry had jumped off of the settee and started trembling uncontrollably. Severus quickly whisked over to the child and crouched down before him, grasping the boy’s hands lightly.

“Harry,” he began seriously, “don’t worry, I won’t let him take you, okay? What I would like you to do is go up to your room and remain quiet until he leaves, alright?”

The child already had tears running down his cheeks and Severus gently brushed them away.

“It’ll be alright.” He reassured him.

“Promise?” Harry croaked out.

“I promise.” Severus said, giving his hands a firm squeeze before ushering the petrified boy up to his room.

Steeling himself for the upcoming conversation, Severus answered the floo call to allow Albus Demonic Dumbledore to come through. As soon as the elderly man strode into his living room he wanted to throttle him and he clenched his hands into fists by his side to resist punching the man.

“Good afternoon, Severus.” Dumbledore said with a sickening smile as he glided around the room.

“Good afternoon, Albus.” Severus replied through gritted teeth. “You wanted to speak with me?” He added, wanting this conversation to be over as swiftly as possible.

“Always straight to the point aren’t you, my boy.” Dumbledore commented lightly. “Very well, I have come to question the reason for your resignation?”

Severus clenched his teeth. “As I said in my letter,” he began, “I have been offered several other career opportunities that will further my knowledge of potions. I have no intention of teaching the ignorant brats at Hogwarts when I am being offered something more enticing.”

“I see. However it seems to have slipped your mind that you are indeed under my protection at Hogwarts, and your resignation would put you in the firing line should Voldemort return. Unless, of course, you have been in contact with the remaining Death Eaters.”

It took all of Severus’ strength to hold his tongue, he knew the old man was just trying to get under his skin. Well, two can play at that game.

“The Dark Lord is gone, Headmaster. Therefore I find it would be foolish to pass up an opportunity such as this to protect myself from a monster that will never return.” Severus said silkily.

“I firmly believe that Voldemort will return.” The man replied simply.

“Be that as it may, I think I would rather take my chances.” Severus intoned, trying to hold back a satisfied smirk.

“Very well.” Dumbledore growled, though he did seem to be trying hard to disguise his fury. “I also come here with another matter…”

Severus watched him calculatingly as the Headmaster sloped around the room. “And what might that be?” He enquired.

“A problem involving the Order has come to light-“

“- I will not be working for the Order anymore.” Severus interrupted sharply. “I should have mentioned that before, this new career will be taking up a lot of my spare time and so I am afraid I will not be able to dedicate my time to running your errands.”

Dumbledore just glared at him for a moment and, if looks could kill, he would have been dead and buried by now.

“Well that is a shame.” Dumbledore intoned as he placed one of Severus’ trinkets that he was inspecting back on the mantelpiece where it belonged. “I think you would have been a real asset to us on this current mission.” The old man added.

Severus desperately tried to remain impassive, but curiosity killed the kneazle, and he couldn’t resist taking the bait.

“And what, pray tell, does this mission entail?” 

The Headmaster had the audacity to smirk at his question and Severus found himself clutching his fists even harder, knowing full well that he was leaving crescent marks on his palms.

“Well, it seems as though Harry Potter has gone missing.” Dumbledore said offhandedly, glaring at Severus and awaiting his reaction.

Severus scoffed. “The spoiled brat probably ran away from home, didn’t get the latest toy he wanted I suspect.”

Without warning, Dumbledore was suddenly mere inches from his face, so close that Severus could smell the old man’s acrid breath.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Severus.” The Headmaster snarled. “I know he is here, I had the foresight to track his magical signature.”

Whipping out his wand, Severus pressed it hard against the old man’s neck.

“There is no way in hell I am letting you take Harry.” The Potion’s Master warned.

“Is that so, Severus?” Dumbledore sneered. “You really think you can stop me?”

“Yes.” Severus responded with an air of confidence.

Dumbledore chuckled darkly. “You never learn, Severus.” He muttered shaking his head. “Blood pops.” The man added simply and Severus looked on in horror as a handful of Order members ambushed his living room through the Floo network.

Severus barely had time to process anything before the Order members, including Dumbledore, were climbing the stairs and heading in the direction of Harry’s room. Hurrying, Severus caught up to them and started jinxing several people and swerving around them on the staircase as they fell like dominos.

As he reached the landing, Severus witnessed the team casting a magic suppressing spell over Harry’s bedroom before they stormed in. Severus winced as he heard Harry’s cries of desperation from the other end of the hall. Pocketing his wand, Severus knew that he would have to rely on his physical strength to get through the sea of people crowding the entrance to Harry’s room.

Managing to knock a few individuals out with some well aimed punches, Severus stopped short when he found Dumbledore and Alastor Moody forcibly restraining a hysterical Harry on the floor. Swiftly approaching the sobbing Harry, Severus bravely attempted to tackle Moody but ended up being pushed against the wall and held in an iron grip. Several Order members must have recovered from him jinxes he had fired as they rushed in to help Dumbledore drag Harry out of the bedroom, the boy kicking and screaming all the while.

“SEV’RUS! SEV’RUS! YOU PROMISED!” Harry screamed out around his tears.

Severus was still fighting tooth and nail to shake off Moody without much success.

“I won’t stop until I find you, Harry! I promise!” Severus shouted back as he continued to struggle.

The team had successfully managed to manoeuvre Harry out of the door and Severus watched as they swiftly stunned him and started manhandling the boy down the stairs. Without warning, a fist shot out and collided with Severus’ nose, causing him to see stars. He slumped and slid down the wall, cradling his nose as he attempted to see through the foggy haze that clouded his vision.

“Tut, tut, Severus.” A familiar voice uttered, though Severus couldn’t place it in his weakened state. “What a disappointment you are to Harry.”

Severus snarled in the voice’s general direction and desperately tried to stand up, but it was no use.

“Well, we can’t have you interfering any longer. ‘_Obliviate_.’”


End file.
